the unreleased tracks

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popacrobat

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a few things i'd like to point out and ask here so i figured i'd put them in a concise thread.

1- smile is far and away the best track of the bunch. this is the one song that, of the unreleased, IMO, should have gone onto atomic bomb. It's infinitely better than Mercy (though not an 'official' unreleased track- mercy that is.)

2- for those that think Native Son > Vertigo, alternate ABOY > ABOY etc., do you listen to Native Son or the alt. All because of you? Does it make you happier to have the unreleased version to replace the album version in your mind, or does it piss you off that they went a separate route?

I also think regarding the Native Son, Yahweh, Sometimes, and All Because of you that the only one you have a case for being superior is Yahweh and maybe All Because of You- i think the chorus is done better and the different verse is more rock and rolly. That said, I do like both versions of ABOY so I have no problem having both and I think it's kinda cool.

i digress because im rambling and it's late, but to summarize, Smile is awesome.
 
I prefer all of the alternate versions by some margin.

Vertigo is pretty good as is, though the sustained note from Native Son is nice.
ABOY stinks in both versions, but smells less in alternative form.
Yahweh has more interesting lyrics and feels less "cheesy" in alt. form.

However, the biggest difference for me comes in SYCMIOYO. It turns a saccharine, overblown tune into a moving and considered piece. I actually voluntarily listen to it. The lyrics are quite a bit more impressive too.

In short I think the released album is weaker than it needed to be, but I am glad we have the other versions.
 
The alternative Native Son pisses me off. What could have been, would have been so much better.

But I'm glad I got to hear it if that's what you're asking.

The beginning of Yahweh alt. is better but I still don't like the song.

Yeah, Smile is awesome. And Levitate. And Flower Child.
 
Flower Child is a fantastic song. Would have fit well on ATYCLB. However, that would raise the issue of having two easy-going acoustic songs on the same album, the other being Wild Honey. At the very least, this song could have made an incredible b-side.
 
popacrobat said:
aIt's infinitely better than Mercy (though not an 'official' unreleased track- mercy that is.)


Out of all the tracks you mentioned, Mercy IS the only unreleased song. For Smile, Native Son, etc have now been released.

I think the only other unreleased song that we've actually heard is Wild Irish Rose.
 
You forgot to mention Xanax and Wine > (or <?) Fast Cars.

:wink:

From all the "unreleased" stuff I only really like Mercy and Smile.

From the alternatives I think I like the alt. of Yahweh better, but not the alternatives of the other bomb songs.
 
Re: Re: the unreleased tracks

BonoVoxSupastar said:


Out of all the tracks you mentioned, Mercy IS the only unreleased song. For Smile, Native Son, etc have now been released.

I think the only other unreleased song that we've actually heard is Wild Irish Rose.

the 'album' that theyre featured on for the complete U2 is called "unreleased and rare." sorry that I dropped the and rare off.
 
Varitek said:
The alternative Native Son pisses me off. What could have been, would have been so much better.

But I'm glad I got to hear it if that's what you're asking.

The beginning of Yahweh alt. is better but I still don't like the song.

Yeah, Smile is awesome. And Levitate. And Flower Child.

yes, that is kind of what i was asking. i've seen a lot of people bitch about bomb saying on a wide variety of complaints, too radio friendly etc etc., so i don't know if people who have these tracks get pissed because these songs, as you alluded to, could have been so much better and if so, do you listen to them on your own accord? Kind of make your own personal atomic bomb & enjoy it?

Not the most concise of questions or phrasing but i'm fried right now so i don't really care :wink:
 
Personally, I like every one of the officially released tracks better than the alternatives (and so did the band, lest we forget).
 
65980 said:
Personally, I like every one of the officially released tracks better than the alternatives (and so did the band, lest we forget).

Ditto. The SYCMIOYO alt lyrics are on the nose (that second verse, yeesh), the vocal delivery is tentative, and the song as a whole doesn't have great dynamics. (Especially on that bridge.) Native Son is good (I like the sustained note too), but the lyrics again are really on the nose.
 
nathan1977 said:


Ditto. The SYCMIOYO alt lyrics are on the nose (that second verse, yeesh), the vocal delivery is tentative, and the song as a whole doesn't have great dynamics. (Especially on that bridge.)

The alternative version of Sometimes sounds like something Bono was totally improvising. No way they would have ever released the song with THESE lyrics. They are much too personal and right into your face. I like the album version so much better.
 
Smile is the only song I've heard from the BOMB sessions that I DON'T like (And it is VERY rare for me to not like a U2 song)...and I do prefer the actual versions of the tracks with alternate versions....there are some neat details in the alt versions, but all in all, I likey the album! :)

I'm glad they went the way that they did!
 
last unicorn said:


The alternative version of Sometimes sounds like something Bono was totally improvising. No way they would have ever released the song with THESE lyrics. They are much too personal and right into your face. I like the album version so much better.

where do i find the version of SYCMIOYO that you describe, either lyric or audio?
 
Native Son is so much better than Vertigo because of the lyrics, and the melody. I also love Edge's verse and the sustained note.

I'd say Vertigo's instrumentation is a tad better because it's more finished. But if they spent some more time on Native Son and used the same instrumentation to finish it ... you've got a good track.

Smile's a great song, too, probably better than most of Bomb.

Mercy desperately needs to be altered. It's got potential, but it's not there yet.

Xanax and Wine vs. Fast Cars ... meh.

ABOY alternate has better lyrics, but the music is better on the album.

Haven't heard alternate Yahweh. That song only worked acoustically, though, sort of like Stuck in a Moment.
 
I like all the alt versions better and could choose among several tracks to drop and replace with Mercy, Xanax and Smile.

Needless to say, I was unhappy with the song selection.

I'd make a detailed case for each but I did it so much back in 2004/2005, I don't even want to bother right now.
 
Actually, I did like the alternate 'Yahweh' -- it's probably the equal of the LP version -- but otherwise, as I said before, I like all the released versions best.
 
phillyfan26 said:
Native Son is so much better than Vertigo because of the lyrics, and the melody. I also love Edge's verse and the sustained note.

I'd say Vertigo's instrumentation is a tad better because it's more finished. But if they spent some more time on Native Son and used the same instrumentation to finish it ... you've got a good track.

Smile's a great song, too, probably better than most of Bomb.

Mercy desperately needs to be altered. It's got potential, but it's not there yet.

Xanax and Wine vs. Fast Cars ... meh.

ABOY alternate has better lyrics, but the music is better on the album.

Haven't heard alternate Yahweh. That song only worked acoustically, though, sort of like Stuck in a Moment.

Funny, because for me it's exactly the opposite, :wink: maybe with the exception of Smile, which I really love. Lyrically, all the alternatives are far from being "ready" in my opinion, most of the lyrics are too much "right into your face". Alternative "Yahweh" has the extra lines with "Take these blue eyes and make them see", I love that and wish they'd included it on the album. "All because of you" may have some interesting lyrics, but the early version contains no real singing, no chorus, too much screaming from Bono. And "Native Son" is a song about Leonard Peltier, and Bono said that he never wanted to sing this song, so they chanced it into something totally non-political. There are some parts about it that I enjoy more than the final "Vertigo", but all in all, musically, I like the album version better.

And blm, I can upload Sometimes alternative, give your e-mail, please.

:)
 
U2DMfan said:
I like all the alt versions better and could choose among several tracks to drop and replace with Mercy, Xanax and Smile.

Needless to say, I was unhappy with the song selection.

I'd make a detailed case for each but I did it so much back in 2004/2005, I don't even want to bother right now.

cool. this is sort of the response i was looking for. since you like all the alternate versions better, do you go out of your way to make 'your' version of the album and listen to it? or does it just frustrate you that they didn't release those songs as they originally were and you just skip them over?

Just trying to see if people who like the alt versions make their own album so to speak.
 
last unicorn said:


Funny, because for me it's exactly the opposite, :wink: maybe with the exception of Smile, which I really love. Lyrically, all the alternatives are far from being "ready" in my opinion, most of the lyrics are too much "right into your face". Alternative "Yahweh" has the extra lines with "Take these blue eyes and make them see", I love that and wish they'd included it on the album. "All because of you" may have some interesting lyrics, but the early version contains no real singing, no chorus, too much screaming from Bono. And "Native Son" is a song about Leonard Peltier, and Bono said that he never wanted to sing this song, so they chanced it into something totally non-political. There are some parts about it that I enjoy more than the final "Vertigo", but all in all, musically, I like the album version better.

And blm, I can upload Sometimes alternative, give your e-mail, please.

:)

I tend to agree with you. I wish that verse was kept on Yahweh, and I think because of that verse I do like the alt. version of Yahweh better. I enjoy Vertigo more than Native Son, but that breakdown with the Freeeeeee is pretty badass.

All because of you i love, yes love, both versions of the songs.

Sometimes is nowhere near ready on the earlier versions, in my opinion.
 
Xanax and wine was pure rock and roll.
Alt yawheh is much better than the one on the album.
Alt sometimes sounded terrible and im glad it evolved.
Native son had something but vertigo wasnt too shabby.
Alt ABOY's lyrics were rather catchy.
 
I don't know some of the alternate versions (like Sometimes, Yahweh). I think Smile is a great song. It definitely could have been on Bomb. I like it way better than weak songs (imo) like All Because of You or something.
 
all I know is that as far as I'm concerned it's a good thing that the unreleased tracks remained unreleased
 
last unicorn said:


Funny, because for me it's exactly the opposite, :wink: maybe with the exception of Smile, which I really love. Lyrically, all the alternatives are far from being "ready" in my opinion, most of the lyrics are too much "right into your face". Alternative "Yahweh" has the extra lines with "Take these blue eyes and make them see", I love that and wish they'd included it on the album. "All because of you" may have some interesting lyrics, but the early version contains no real singing, no chorus, too much screaming from Bono. And "Native Son" is a song about Leonard Peltier, and Bono said that he never wanted to sing this song, so they chanced it into something totally non-political. There are some parts about it that I enjoy more than the final "Vertigo", but all in all, musically, I like the album version better.

And blm, I can upload Sometimes alternative, give your e-mail, please.

:)

Bono also said he never intended to release the song about his father that became SYCMIOYO, so I don't see why he wouldn't have come around on Native Son. Vertigo's lyrics are awful, Native Son at least has something meaningful in it.

But, I think you've missed some of my point. I wasn't saying I preferred alternate ABOY: I was saying I think they should have kept the lyrics and used the album instrumentation.

I think from the 2003 to the 2004 sessions, they improved the instrumentation somewhat, but killed the lyrics for the most part.
 
Native Son is the better song, in my mind. Vertigo has more of a punch musically but there's nothing to say NS couldn't have been given that same fullness in sound. But meh, hindsight is 20-20. I enjoy both songs.

Sometimes is better on the album I guess. But I do like certain elements of the sadder alternate version, the bridge of course being not one of them. :wink:

ABOY is I think better on the alternate version. But I don't hate the album version or anything. I only hate that ear piercing intro. :crazy:

Crumbs HQ is nice but I quite like the album version so I don't think I would have replaced it.

OOTS single version seems marginally better than the album one. It's still not a favorite of mine by any stretch of the imagination.

Yahweh alternate is definitely better than the album one, no question!

Fast Cars is more fun than Xanax I think.

:shrug:
 
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